EPA gives industry a pass on planet-warming methane pollution

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency moved to scrap protections against one of our most potent greenhouse gases: methane. As it stands, new oil and gas operations must take steps to limit wasteful methane leaks—a pervasive industry problem. Now the agency is proposing to walk back those pollution-cutting requirements for new facilities and also exempt existing operations from the rule entirely. The rollback packs a serious planet-warming punch: Methane pollution has 87 times the heat-trapping power of carbon dioxide when analyzed over 20 years. The move also comes on the heels of the agency’s rollback of the Clean Power Plan—another greenlight to the fossil fuel industry to keep on polluting.